Exodus 15:8

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:8 Et in spiritu furoris tui congregatæ sunt aquæ: stetit unda fluens, congregata sunt abyssi in medio mari.

And by the breath of Your fury the waters were gathered together; the flowing wave stood still, the depths were collected in the midst of the sea.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 spiritu breath NOUN.ABL.SG.M
4 furoris of fury NOUN.GEN.SG.M
5 tui your ADJ.GEN.SG.M
6 congregatæ were gathered PPP.NOM.PL.F
7 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
8 aquæ waters NOUN.NOM.PL.F
9 stetit stood 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 unda wave NOUN.NOM.SG.F
11 fluens flowing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
12 congregata was gathered PPP.NOM.PL.F (context: abyssi—treated collectively)
13 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
14 abyssi depths NOUN.NOM.PL.F
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 medio midst ADJ.ABL.SG.M/N
17 mari sea NOUN.ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Clause 1: in spiritu furoris tui congregatæ sunt aquæ — ablative phrase of agency + passive verb + nominative subject.
Clause 2: stetit unda fluens — perfect verb + subject + participial modifier.
Clause 3: congregata sunt abyssi in medio mari — passive verb + subject + locative phrase.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects actions.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces means; Translation: “in / by”; Notes: expresses instrumentality.
  3. spiritu — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “breath”; Notes: metaphor for divine force.
  4. furoris — Lemma: furor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies spiritu; Translation: “of fury”; Notes: intensifies imagery.
  5. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies furoris; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  6. congregatæ — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate with sunt; Translation: “gathered”; Notes: agrees with aquæ.
  7. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “were”; Notes: forms passive.
  8. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “waters”; Notes: waters of the sea dividing.
  9. stetit — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “stood”; Notes: sudden halting of water.
  10. unda — Lemma: unda; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “wave”; Notes: normally in motion.
  11. fluens — Lemma: fluo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies unda; Translation: “flowing”; Notes: contrasts with its sudden stillness.
  12. congregata — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate; Translation: “gathered together”; Notes: refers to the abyssi.
  13. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “were”; Notes: forms passive.
  14. abyssi — Lemma: abyssus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “depths”; Notes: deep recesses of the sea.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates stable position.
  16. medio — Lemma: medius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine/neuter; Function: modifies mari; Translation: “midst”; Notes: part of fixed idiom.
  17. mari — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “sea”; Notes: refers to Red Sea.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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